Fabrice Muamba's next few hours are "crucial" says Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle

Schoolboy prodigy: Muamba captained England U-19s

Getty

Fabrice Muamba faces a "crucial" 24 hours after collapsing during a live televised FA Cup tie in north London, Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle has said.
The midfielder remains critically ill after collapsing during the quarter-final tie against Tottenham.
Muamba, 23, is being treated in the intensive care unit of the heart attack centre at the London Chest Hospital.
Worried Coyle said: "It's very serious. There's no getting away from that. God willing, he makes it through."
He added: "Fabrice is critically ill. The next 24 hours are going to be absolutely crucial.
"We've obviously been inundated with people wishing him well and we hope that if everybody can pray strongly tonight that Fabrice is able to recover."

Concerned staff: Muamba receives CPR treatment on the pitch

Getty

 

Game stopped: Muamba is taken off on a stretcher

Getty

The club and the hospital issued a joint statement yesterday evening saying: "Bolton Wanderers can confirm that Fabrice Muamba has been admitted to the Heart Attack Centre at the London Chest Hospital where he is in a critically ill condition in intensive care.
"The club and hospital request that the media and public respect the family's privacy at this time."
Fabrice Muamba came to the UK speaking no English at 11 years old and went on to play for his country
Muamba had walked away from the action towards the side of the pitch before collapsing face first onto the ground.
He was immediately surrounded by players and medical staff.

Vigil: Muamba collapsed away from the action

Getty

  However the player was not breathing and CPR was administered before a defibrillator was called for.
The former England Under-21 star was taken off on a stretcher as fans held their heads in their hands, with some in tears.
The incident was so serious the match at White Hart lane was abandoned after 41 minutes by referee Howard Webb.
The footballer was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
Commentating on ESPN, John Barnes said: "From the players' reaction on both sides it seemed that things were pretty serious."
Kevin Keegan added: "Jermain Defoe seemed absolutely distraught.
"The fans are in a state of shock. I've never seen anything like that on a football pitch before.
"Our hearts go out to his family."
There was nobody around Muamba when he went down and he was not involved in a challenge.
Coyle ran on to the pitch to see what had happened as players gathered and a defibrillator was used on the star, who has also played for Arsenal and Birmingham.
As a message was relayed around the stadium that the game was off, the fans applauded and chanted Muamba's name.
The scene recalled memories of Cameroon's Marc Vivien-Foe who collapsed and died during a Confederations Cup match in 2003.       
Former football manager and pundit David Pleat relived the horrific moment when the player collapsed, saying Muamba's arms were seen to "jerk" which he described as "terribly traumatic" and "eerie".
He described Muamba, who played for England all the way through Under-16s to Under-21s, as a good athlete.
He said players were rigorously tested for heart and other problems frequently.
"These things can be genetic and you never know," he told Radio 5 Live.
"The only thing that makes us sit up and think tonight is there are many things more important than football and what's happened tonight is far more important than football."
Tottenham Hotspur released a statement on the club's website following the abandoned game, which read: "Tottenham Hotspur can confirm that Fabrice Muamba has been taken to hospital following his collapse on the pitch during the match at White Hart Lane this evening. The match was immediately abandoned.
"Everyone at the club sends their best wishes to Fabrice and his family."
Fans filing out of White Hart Lane after tonight's abandoned FA Cup tie spoke of their shock when Fabrice Muamba collapsed.
They said an eerie silence had descended over the ground and it was clear the situation was serious.
"The player went down with no-one near him. He just collapsed," said Tottenham fan Paul Bowman, 53, from London Colney, Hertfordshire.
Mr Bowman, who was at the match with his three children, said: "The other players saw immediately that this looked bad. We could see they were trying to resuscitate him. Everyone was in shock. We all watched and waited.
"All the support staff and substitutes were on the pitch. Fans from both teams were chanting Muamba's name."
Mr Bowman said that abandoning the match was the only option.
He went on: "The players were in shock. No-one wanted it to go on.
"It was eerie coming out of the ground. No-one was saying anything. There was hush, a silence. No-one could quite believe it. It was terrible."
Muamba has previously played for Arsenal and Birmingham City.
He was born in Kinshasa, Zaire, (Now the Democratic Republic of Congo) but came to England as a child in 1999 aged 11 after his father fled as a political refugee.